My RPG Obsession

Yes, I confess, I love a good RPG (role playing game). Every since the Legend of Zelda first arrived to the video game console I've been hooked. Terribly excited when we received that shiny gold tape (or cartridge if you prefer), I'd sit absorbed for hours of my pre-teen life in our dark basement either watching my elder brother play or working to defeat the next dungeon myself.

How quickly I learned that we should take turns based on real time, not "when I die next" (dratted fairy pools!).

If you've never played an RPG or find the draw of a 50+ hour game hard to believe, let me attempt to explain. These types of games are less about conquering levels and defeating big bosses. They revolve around a central story, use experience points to strengthen the character, and encompass a vast world. They are a natural fit for those of us that love lengthy novels (eg. The Wheel of Time series). As game systems have evolved so have the stories, characters, graphics, and overall enjoyment of the game experience.

Thanks in large part to the Zelda franchise, I will forever be a Nintendo gal. The Nintendo 64, Super Nintendo, GameBoy, and Wii have been given me many hours of escapist pleasure. Along the way I also learned that its best for me to buy games when I can devote large amounts of time to them - I tend to think about how to locate the next key item or defeat a tough critter when I should be focused on church, conversations with live people, working, that sort of thing. Ha!

Since the latest release of my beloved Zelda was postponed (which could mean trouble for me come springtime), I picked up Final Fantasy The Crystal Bearers as my Christmas treat. When it comes to the RPG world FF is a great followup for Zelda - filled with the long form story I love, lots of magic action, but an intriguing mix of technology blended in as well.

While I found it hard to get into at first (lengthy story-movies when I'd rather be moving on already), I've clocked an embarrassing number of hours thus far and set a curfew of 10pm on work nights for myself. Ah for the days when I could play until 4am and no one would notice the next day. If you try to ring me and I don't pick up, rest assure all is well. Just helping Layle and his friends battle the forces of evil and bring about tribal unification.

Povitica - a Radke family tradition

One of my absolute favorite memories of Christmas (and Easter) as a child was the povitica we'd enjoy for breakfast that morning. It's a Croatian nut bread that's rich, flaky, and chock-a-bock full of walnuts. Don't ask for the recipe - family secrets, right? - but here's a general overview of the process.

The bread is similar to what you'd use to make cinnamon rolls - eggs, milk, butter, and sugar combine to make a heavy dough that's a gorgeous yellow color. While its doing the first rise you mix up the filling - walnuts, sugar, milk, butter (I mentioned this is a richly flavored special occasion treat, right?).

Stretching the dough as thin as you can is the tough part. My gran (mom's mom, the Radke side of my family tree) is so great at getting it paper thin. I'll never understand how. She literally stretched it the size of her kitchen table. Seriously. Stop reading for a second and think about the size of your table. One loaf of dough, that large, is thin enough to see through. Will I ever have the patience (or a warm enough home?!?) to accomplish that feat?

Spread on some filling, roll it up, then loop the two ends around the middle (creating a three sided mass of oozy goodness). Quickly slide into a buttered loaf pan and let rise a second time. Bake for about an hour, let cool in the pans about 5 minutes, then gently slip them out to cool on racks.

To serve, slice as gently as possible, toast in the oven just until warm, then put a sliver of butter on top. Seriously - more butter. A cup of coffee or a glass of milk makes this a wonderful holiday treat - and well worth the two-a-day workouts I'll be enjoying this weekend!

Side note - when I was in Croatia last year I was pleased to see that their povitica was as thin (ie thick!) as mine.

Bagel Making - Cranberry Walnut

A few weeks back I got to hang out with my niece while her brother slept off an illness and her parents attending a Christmas party. One of our conversation trails happened to land on bagels, and she mentioned her favorite was Cranberry Walnut. When my sis and I were discussing Christmas foods - and my choice of bagel making - a few days later, she also mentioned it. Naturally I had to try my hand at this flavorful combo for our holiday celebration.

My trusty William-Sonoma cookbook has a great basic bagel recipe, so I made a few modifications to come up with this one.The process is essentially the same as the pumpkin spice, only I subbed in 1 cup ground walnuts and 1 cup cranberries for 1 cup flour. I've used dried fruits in past bagel making, but added the fruit during the last stage of the process (when you're adding 1/2 cup flour at a time). This go round I added the fruit and nuts during the sponge stage, and it made a significant difference. I saw a great consistency of dispersal in the dough - most notably during the kneading stage.

Rise 2, boil, bake, serve, enjoy!

Book Review: Daemon

I'm coming to believe that some books are best enjoyed as audiobooks - Daemon definitely fits that bill for me. It's a first novel by Daniel Suarez that my friend/boss Jim kept telling me I needed to read/hear. I'm glad I finally remembered when my Audible credits came around last month!

Daemons are computer programs that run in the background. Suarez takes that idea and spins a story that involves big government, corporate America, the average 20-something game aficionado, and those that know absolutely nothing about computers and the tech behind them. Years are spanned but the story moves at quick, smooth pace. The characters are well developed and the scenes are so real I found myself holding my breath to hear how they would end. The use of computer noises and sterile computer voices only added to the reality I felt of the story.

What made it so compelling is the idea that it could be real, that this story could really happen. Both a fascinating and frightening thought. Suarez presents some notions for AI (artificial intelligence) that were new to me, and I'm still pondering the implications.

Not into tech? Don't worry - you don't have to be to enjoy this novel. Complex ideas are explained by the characters as the story unfolds, and these days most readers/listeners are fairly comfortable with Internet concepts. Great novels - check them out if you'd like a glimpse of what our future may hold.

Bagel Making - Pumpkin Spice (traditional)

Christmas brunch has been our family tradition for many years, and this year will be no exception. I offered to bring bagels - the perfect opportunity to perfect the base recipe and try some new flavors. Bread baking is fairly simple once you get the basics down, the challenge is making adjustments to the dough due to weather changes. Baking in the winter is more challenging than summer - my home is older and therefore drafty, and chilled dough just isn't easy to stretch.

First new recipe - Pumpkin Spice. I found a recipe on the web that used the traditional pumpkin pie spice (cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves) so I mixed up a batch. The recipe makes 6-8 bagels (all depends on how you divide your dough), the raw color is really gorgeous. Its a brilliant orange until the spices are added - then it turns a lovely speckled brown.

The second rise for bagels is only 30 minutes - just enough time to put a kettle of water on to boil. Boiling is a key step to bagel making - its what gives the interior that lovely chewy texture. Just 1 minute per side (use a slotted spoon to flip), place on a towel to dry, then return to the baking sheet. Most recipes utilize an egg wash before baking, but I prefer to see the color of the bagel without the egg (it really just adds a bit of brown).

Alton Brown is a fount of wisdom, and he provided a key baking tip on a cookie (or was it pie?) episode. Anyway. He suggests setting the oven timer for half the time, and when it beeps rotate the cookie sheet (or whatever). This helps ensure consistent exterior color to the finished product - ovens aren't exactly a balanced appliance and can have hot spots. If I have multiple trays in the oven I rotate shelves and rotate pans (180 degree turns).

Fresh from the oven this recipe was great - a bit of butter is my typical companion for fresh bread. A bit of cream cheese would probably taste great on these, or cream cheese icing and you have fun dessert treat.

My Recipe

2 tablespoons + 1/2 cup lukewarm water
3 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast
1/2 cup canned pumpkin
3 cups white flour
6 tablespoons brown sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground cloves
1 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
3/4 teaspoon allspice

Combine 1 Tablespoon water and yeast with a pinch of sugar; set in a warm place to activate (approx. 10 minutes).

Combine remaining ingredients in a large bowl; add yeast mixture when foamy. Stir to combine, then knead to consistent color/texture. Return to oiled bowl, cover, and set in a warm place to rise until doubled in size (approx. 1 hour).

Place dough on a floured surface. Divide into individual parts. Form 8 small balls, gently press thumb through center of ball and form a bagel shape using the sides of your hand. Place on oiled baking sheet, cover, and allow to rise (approx. 30 minutes)

While bagels rise, bring 3 quarts of water to a rapid boil in a large saucepan; once its boiling add 1 tablespoon granualted sugar. Using a slotted spoon, drop 2-3 bagels into rapidly boiling water. Boil on each side for 1-2 minutes. Remove, place on towel to drain for 1 minute, then return to baking sheet. Brush with egg and sprinkle with sesame or poppy seeds, if desired.

Bake at 400 degrees on a baking sheet sprinkled with cornmeal, until golden - approximately 15 minutes

Christmas Decor

I'm not one to decorate my house for every holiday, but a few years back I decided to do it up when Christmas came around. My inspiration? Hallmark began producing Dr. Seuss ornaments - the perfect collectible for this book lover! An artist switch made my interest wan ('inspired by' versus based on book illustrations just didn't work for me) - but I absolutely love my Dr. Seuss tree. I can be a bit Grinchy - but I'd like to think my heart isn't "three sizes too small" - and Miss Sumatra plays the role of Max quite nicely (I will never make her wear false antlers). Here's a few shots of my favorite ornaments - I hope your decor says "you" too!

Max is the perfect tree topper.

Green Eggs and Ham

One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish

Horton Hears a Who!

Oh the Places You'll Go

Plums and Italian Food

A couple years ago when I was talking books with a friend, she encouraged me to check out Janet Evanovich novels. It took me some time, but this past month I've gone through eight of her Stephanie Plum series and eagerly await the next batch from my local library.

Stephanie Plum is, in word, hysterical. She's a bounty hunter in New Jersey - what a premise in and of itself - and she's terrible at it. Anti-exercise, pro-junk food, single with hamster for a roommate, Evanovich has created a female character more true to life than many others I've read. Her technique focuses on following her gut (which I can appreciate) and she tends to foul up and get wounded each novel. Which only makes it more laughable.

The books don't just depend on Stephanie for laughs - her family and co-workers are characters in and of themselves. I'm torn as to whether 80+-year old Grandma Mazur or Lula get more chuckles out of me. Grandma makes funeral parlor her social scene, while Lula and her spandex attire attempt to help Stephanie catch perps. Seriously. You have to check these out!

The mystery of the books are well thought out and engaging - I've found myself many a night staying up way later than I should to find out how in the world Miss Steph was going to get out of her latest mess. On-again, off-again boyfriend Joe Mazzoli, the mysterious bounty hunter Ranger, and the local police are always on hand to help.

So what's all that have to do with Italian food? Well, Stephanie is from a Polish-Italian family, and all the discussion of alfredo sauces, noodles, pasta, etc. had me craving before I realized what was happening. So last night I whipped open a jar of alfredo sauce (not the time to attempt my own), mixed it with fresh Italian sausage and poured it over snail shell pasta. Paired with a dry red wine it was the perfect way to finish To the Nines.